Old is new again at Geneva Lake Museum

Main Street, Lake Geneva, the centerpiece of the Geneva Lake Museum, invites visitors to stroll among shops and homes that represent the city from years gone by. Dan Plutchak photo

The stained glass windows of Jerseyhurst were made for the estate of R.T. Crane, whose company for a time was the largest supplier of bathroom fixtures and plumbing supplies. The windows found their way to Hawaii, where a donor volunteered to return them to Lake Geneva for display at the museum. Dan Plutchak photo

One of three rare Irish Dresden lace figurines in the grand living room from the turn of the century at the Geneva Lake Museum. Dan Plutchak photo

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If you go

• What: Geneva Lake Museum

• Where: 255 Mill St., Lake Geneva

• When: Open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays through the end of February. From March through April, open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This summer, the museum will be open seven days a week.

LAKE GENEVA--The newest additions, along with some of the most popular exhibits, were on display Tuesday, Feb. 11, during a special preview at the Geneva Lake Museum.

“A lot of people don't realize what we have here,” said docent Noel Payne, one of the volunteer guides with a nearly unlimited wealth of knowledge about the history of Lake Geneva.

But Lake Geneva is unique in that it has a rich history stretching back to the days that the Potawatomi made their home along the shores of this spring-fed lake.

A Native American display is among the new exhibits that illustrate the growth of the area through the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 to the grand estates that surround the Geneva Lake.

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays through the end of February. From March through April, the museum will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This summer, the museum will be open seven days a week.